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THELOOK

Tessa Moncrieff was taken by her mothers1950s paper dolls. The thick, colouredcardboard figures came complete with

tabbed clothing, perfect for mixing andmatching outfits for different occasions.

Voluminous skirts pea coats and cinchedwaists in bold colours and printed fabricsgraced the frames of many rosy-cheeked paperdolls throughout Australian households ingenerations gone by. And it is these designsthat have shaped 27-year-old Moncrieffsfashion label, the name of which was takenfrom her childhood nickname, Plonk.

In her home state, Western Australia,Moncrieff enrolled in an arts degree at EdithCowan University, majoring in her twocreative passions, visual arts and fashiondesign. Today, her work reflects a seamlessunion of the two.

I tend not to separate my art from my

fashion, she says from her Clifton Hillstudio. My drawings, prints and fashion areall one body of work.

Plonk collections exude a fierce sense ofnostalgia and romance. Moncrieff draws onher own childhood memories, and those ofher parents, as well as their collective currentexperiences for inspiration.

Sweetheart dresses, playsuits and pussy bowshirts are all handmade in her studio and itsevident the designer checks each bow, hemand stitch detail before it leaves the studio.

That attention to detail includes thematerials, which she selects with an equallycritical eye. Its very important for me towork with fabrics I like, she says. Good-quality linens, silks and cottons. Im drawn tofabric that looks vintage; I enjoy rummagingaround for odd bits in textiles shops.

While fond of screen printing, Moncrieff

has recently taken to block printing herdesigns. They should make for someinteresting fabric, she says.

Last year she packed her bags and headedto Asia for five months. It was a workingholiday of sorts, sourcing fabrics from India,trekking through Nepal and collaboratingwith a designer in Vietnam. She returned toAustralia armed with enough experience todrive her current collection.

Moving to Melbourne last November,Moncrieff teaches art, sewing and creativewriting workshops, as well as designing andpushing Plonk into the limelight.

Next stop? Im hoping to be involved inthe 2012 Melbourne Fashion Festival parade,she says.

With designs this sweet and the personalityto match, paper dolls are just the beginningfor Moncrieff. I

All stitched upFrom paper dolls to fashion festivals, Plonk is going places. By Mary-Jane Daffy

Tessa MoncrieffEggs or cereal for breakfast: Muesli,

fruit and yoghurt

Ideal restaurant for a first date:

Vietnamese on the beach

Favourite Melbourne coffee spot:

Chai from Three Bags Full, Abbotsford

Item of clothing you cant live

without:At the moment my thermals,

six various layers and a Canadian

puffer jacket. My studio gets chilly.

PHOTOGRAPHS

BY

TEAGANGLENANE

June 9, 2011 CITY WEEKLY YOUR COMMUNITY VOICE [ 13 ]